Crys has seen my collection first hand, and thought it’d be great for me to photograph it section by section for you all (yes. there are sections). There will be an accompanying video to this post so watch out for that soon. For now, I will hold my breath as I unleash my pure and utter guilty pleasure to the world.

Skincare

Foundations

Concealers

Bronzers

Blushes

Finishing Powders/Luminizers

Pigments

Eyeshadows

Small Palettes

Large Palettes

Lipsticks

Lipglosses

Lip Tubes

Mascaras/Smudge Pots/UDPP

Eye & Lip Liners

All brushes

Face brushes

Eye brushes

Nailpolishes

Hair Products

Put it all together!

If you have any questions about anything you see feel free to ask!

Turkey

Penil (Pork Shoulder)

Roasted Chicken

Stuffing

Cranberry Sauce

Potato Salad

Macaroni Salad

White rice

Arroz con gandules (rice with pigeon peas)

Mashed potatoes

Candied yams

Biscuits

Sweet Potato pie with pecans

Pumpkin Pie

Mixed green salad

Whipped cream (Yes bitches I whipped my own cream)

Bruschetta

Gravy

Garlic butter cream

Coquito (this typical Puerto Rican holiday drink with coconut milk, rum, and some other stuff)

So the happy accident occured when I heated up way too much of this heavy cream and butter combo I had set up to mix in with the mashed potato. So I used the leftover cream/butter mixed and heated up, adding some more butter and some minced garlic, and boiled it till it reduced and added some flour to thicken it up (much like you do with gravy) and poured it into a serving cup thing and told people it was for the biscuits. They ended up pouring it over everything and I had to go make more because they loved it so much.

In attendance: Me, my sister Liz, my sister’s "friend" Barry, my Mom, my sister Marilyn, My niece Desmari, my nephew’s Joe and Kenny, Kenny’s friend Zachary, my Uncle Sammy, his girlfriend Charo, her son Fernando, my Aunt Awilda, our family friend Liz, my cousin Felix and his mom Lisa.

Some family moments:

It was a nice day and tomorrow I’m going to do karaoke with Wing Mai, Kevin, Nassim and Rebecca. Good times. Good times.

I have a slight obsession with makeup.

You’d never know it by knowing me. But I collect makeup. I have a train that’s packed and a drawer in my dresser that’s really beginning to scare me. I can’t bring myself to spend M.A.C. money trust, I’m of the school that believes to invest in the bases and go cheap on the colors. I have good skin for the most part so I wouldn’t want to fuck it up with cheap foundation and such so I’m just gonna go over my favs and share sites where you can get good quality makeup for cheap and serious discounts on name brand ones.

THE ALL DAY EVERY DAY’S – More than likely I always have this on.

Bare Escentuals bareVitamins – Skin Rev-er Upper $21. I discovered this when I got that Bare Escentuals kit as a gift way back when and I just loved the way it made my skin feel. It’s essentially a daily multi-vitamin supplement for your face. Most of the time (especially in the summer) this is all I’ll wear. It’s light you only need a little bit and it just makes my skin feel really really good and smooth. It’s a small bottle (only 2.3 oz) which is such a downer because seriously for 20 bucks you expect more, but like I said, I’m okay with investing on something that goes on my face 24/7 as opposed to once in a while (like eyeshadow). You can buy it at sephora.com or anywhere else that sells bare escentuals.

Neutrogena® Oil-Free Moisture SPF 15 $10. I’m a believer in moisturizer, not only because I have dry spots but because growing up that’s all my mom would ever use on her face and she still looks young despite being 60. For those of you who’ve met my mom, yes she’s 60. I swear by this one because it’s literally takes like half a pump to get what you need, it lasts forever and it’s only 10 bucks. It has SPF which is good for me considering I’m terrible about ever wearing any. There is a tinted version as well but I stick with the regular only because I’m always weary about the tinted stuff, I feel like I’ll put it on and it’ll look weird or streaky. That and I have freckles so I feel like it’s really obvious looking when I have any type of liquid color on my skin. You can really find this at ANY drugstore. It’s a rarity that it’s not there.

Rosebud Perfume Co. Rosebud Salve $6. I have about 3 pots of these at any given time because anytime I’m at sephora I randomly pick one up forgetting I have some at home. It’s really amazing, keeps my lips super smooth and its incredibly multi-purpose. I always rub it on my knuckles and on parts of my hand that’s a little dry as well as my elbows. From what I hear it also relives irritation, minor burns, conditions skin and alleviates diaper rash. Who knew? Anyway, it’s awesome, worthwhile, smells good and I always have some with me. You can pick it up at sephora.com.

CoverGirl LashBlast Volume Blasting Mascara $8. I don’t count mascara as coloring because I usually put it on a few time a week when I remember. I’ve actually used all kinds of mascara [Including that crazy ass Givenchy one with the ball applicator. Yea that one was definitely not for me. I had mascara all over me.] For the longest time that Maybelline one in the pink bottle with the green cap is what I swore by until I bought the blackest black one and it smudged every. single. time. I wont lie I first bought this cover girl one because the wand looked fun but it’s turned out to be the best mascara I’ve ever used. You can do light coverage with one little swipe if you’re going for a natural look, or a few more for more dramatic. Totally recommend it, you can get it at any drugstore.

THE COVERAGE – For when I’m looking a little dead or just have time on my hands.

ALMAY® Smart Shade® Concealer $9. I generally only wear the skin revver upper and moisturizer, but being anemic I get really bad under eye circles so when they look worse than normal I’ll dab some of this on. I’m terrible about figuring out my colors which is why I dig almay’s since it’s foolproof. It’s not very thick at all, it’s more liquid based so you have to be careful when you squeeze it out. I don’t like things that give heavy coverage because like I said before, I feel like it’s too obvious on my face. I’ve tried all types of concealers too, this one just works best for me. It also has an SPF of 15 which you know, anytime you can get that in makeup is a good thing. Also, like the moisturizer, it’s oil free, which is important to me since I have combination skin so it won’t clog my pores. You can literally get it at any drugstore.

Bare Scentuals bareMinerals SPF 15 Foundation $25. I rarely if ever wear foundation, however when I do (usually when I’m going out out) this is the only one I count on. I use loose powder because I like sheer coverage and when I sweat it’s always on my face so when I wear liquid makeup I can feel it. I only like mineralized foundation because its free of preservatives, talc, oil, waxes, fragrances, and other chemicals that can irritate skin and cause breakouts on me. It’s going to sound cheesy and very infomercial like but it does look like that airbrush effect whenever I do wear it. I justify the price tag on the fact that it lasts me forever since I don’t really wear foundation all that often, and that its completely not damaging to my skin. You can find it at a sephora or anywhere else that sells the brand.

THE COLOR – For when I’m feeling brave.

Urban Decay Eyeshadow Primer Potion $16. I don’t wear anything on my eyes without this. I swear it’s magical. It makes 99 cent eyeshadow pop, drugstore makeup suddenly looks like MAC products, seriously, amazing. It lasts forever, never creases. It really is worth all the hype people give it. It’s pricey for the amount of product you get but it’s definitely worthwhile considering it does what its supposed to do. What I like most is that it’s completely nude because a lot of bases have a color to them which can effect how your colors come out, and this one does not. I love the packaging because it looks like a little genie bottle, corny I know. However the packaging makes you lose a lot of product which is why I suggest anyone who owns it to watch this video by EnKore who shows you how to ensure you get all the product out of it and save the rest. You can find it at any sephora or ulta.com which I’ll talk about later.

NYX Eyeshadows $2 – $8. Do not sleep on NYX it’s pretty much the secret weapon of broke ass makeup lovers. It is comparable to MAC eyeshadows in that they’re highly pigmented and long lasting. They come in every color under the sun so you can experiment with whatever look you desire and they’re great quality which is important. When I buy NYX shadows I usually go for unorthodox colors that I wouldn’t normally buy so I could experiment with them. I think that’s the best bet to be frank because it’s what they’re good at. Really vibrant colors. A real favorite of people is their jumbo eye pencil in cottage cheese or their single eye shadow in cream cheese as a base. So while you can nab some at their website, I’m gonna let you in on a little secret. You can get them even MORE discounted at Cherry Culture. You’ll thank me I swear.

CoverGirl Eye Enhancers 4-Kit Shadows $5.50 & Maybelline Expert Wear™ Eye Shadow Quads $6.30. I’m a fan of quads because they come in complimenting shades and it’s really idiot proof in creating looks since the rules usually are: lightest color as a base, medium color on the lid, darker color in the crease, darkest on the outer corner and liner. Maybelline’s even spells it out for you really. It’s great for when you’re starting out or to travel with so you can have consistent looks without carrying a shitload of stuff. As part of my big order yesterday I actually got the CoverGirl Tropical Fusion quad solely because of this video I saw on youtube because it looked so pretty. Don’t judge by the beginning of the video because her webcam doesn’t pick it up well, wait until the middle or end where she shows the pictures from her camera on how it looks because it’s really beautiful. My favorite Maybelline quad is probably Luscious Sorbet because it’s very peachy and shimmery and fairly sheerish actually so it looks really nice on the eyes. Of course you can find these at any drugstore.

Tropez Sunrise to Sunset Eyeshadows $4. I know, I know, it looks cheap. Eight eyeshadows for $4 bucks of course it can’t be great right? I came across this when I was killing time once before meeting up with someone by wandering around the walgreens on 34th street. It was cheap so I didn’t think much of it but when I went home and did swatches I was amazed by the fact that they were actually extremely pigmented. I had the Bali Blue one because that was all they had at the store but I was literally shocked by the quality of the color. Granted not all of them are great, I found that the pinkish color was a pink chalky and not at all colorful so I didn’t like that one. However I felt the rest were so it was a pretty good bargain in my book. I’ve never seen these anywhere but at a walgreens so if you have one, go get ‘em.

Coastal Scents 28 Piece Eye Shadow Neutral Palette $22. If you don’t know about Coastal Scents then You’re Welcome. Because this place is literally breathing on Sephora’s and MAC’s neck like sup, I got quality shit too and it’s mad cheap and what! I’ve heard about this place a milllion times from the people on youtube and then someone at work ordered from them and I was converted. The quality is incredible. I just recently bought the neutral palette and you will not believe the range of colors within it and the kinds of look that can be made. There are literally dozens of tutorial videos both on their site by their staff and on youtube by cutomers. They have great customer service, send you a shitload of samples with every order and to top it off, they make awesome brushes. I’ve only recently gotten into brushes and theirs feel so soft and do great coverage but anyway, this is supposed to be about the shadows and they are fab, check them out on coastalscents.com.

Maybelline Superstay™ Gloss $7. It’s literally the most long lasting lip gloss I’ve ever had. It’s annoying to put on but worth the pay off. You first put on the color and wait two minutes for it to dry and then you put on the gloss on top. The colors are beautiful though and I’ve had many compliments every time I wear it. I can eat a full meal without a single smudge and it doesn’t wipe off on any glass or anyone else. The removal is easy but equally annoying because you essentially have to rub it out and you have to use a balm or something to condition your lips after removing it because it’ll leave them dry. Just as a warning. It’s shimmery but not in that overly annoying way that looks 80s. The one I have (Glass Rose) actually works for a natural look. You can find it at any drugstore.

MAX Factor’s MAXalicious Lip Glaze $4. I got a ton of these for free when I went to this People VIP event where Katy Perry was performing. I’ve never really bought any Max Factor stuff but I wouldn’t deny any freebies of course. The lip glazes is what I loved most, especially Girl’s Night Out. The color is perfect because it’s that natural pink that leaves your lips healthy looking. I’ve already finished it and am in need of a refill but I’d suggest any of the colors because all the ones I’ve tried are fun. They all have different tastes too which is whatever because I don’t really care about fruity tastes. It leaves lips looking pretty and it’s sheer coverage but not too sheer where it’s like what’s the point of it? It leaves a nice tint. Find it at any drugtore.

NARS Blush – Orgasm $25. Okay I actually don’t own this blush BUT, if I ever did wear blush, this is what I’d wear. I had one of those makeovers at sephora done and I loved how it looked on me at the moment but I couldn’t bring myself to fork over 25 bucks for it. I put it on this list though because I approve of using it hah. Same with the lipgloss, NARS in orgasm is gorgeous but twenty-four bucks for a lip gloss seems ridic to me. However! Yesterday I got curious and got to searching if I could find something comparable for cheap and came across this site. So I decided to order one of the ones used which was Milani Minerals Blush, Luminous $5. Hey a twenty dollar difference is a big deal to me. So when it comes I’ll let you guys know how it is. You can find NARS at sephora and I found Milani at walgreens. Hopefully it’ll be worth it when I do end up using it.

Bare Escentuals Warmth All-Over Face Color $20. I didn’t pay twenty bucks for this, it came in a kit I have and I still have LOADS left. It only takes a little tiny bit of it on a powder brush and I use it to contour. Apparently you can only get it at the Bare Escentuals website or Ulta because I couldn’t find it on sephora but it gives a nice refreshed look, like you have a glow about you. They call it sun-kissed on the website. I wouldn’t call it a bronzer per se, but it does give that bronzer effect. Actually it is a bronzer but whatever. It’s good stuff, and like other bare escentuals products, doesn’t mess with my face. Highly recommend it, just make sure you use VERY little of it otherwise you’ll look a bad kind of brown.

So where can you get all kinds of stuff for affordable prices? Here’s my website list of places to hit up.

So what do y’all use?

a) I love Sean Hayes

b) I think Jane Krakowski is hilarious and

c) I can watch Cheyenne Jackson without having to go see Xanadu, which while I understand its supposed to be kitschy and look bad on purpose as a comedic device, the performance I saw on the Today Show was just plain bad. Nothing humorous about it.

I really knew nothing of the show itself aside from the fact that its old school Broadway, which admittedly, I haven’t seen a lot of. The beginning commentary to get the audience to shut off their phones and not take photos played out like one of those cinematic ads (like the one I kept seeing for a good portion of last year with the frogs from that animated movie singing to the tune of I Heard It Through the Grapevine). Right off the bat the orchestra goes through snippets of all the numbers of the first act, which by the way, why were people so infatuated with mambo in the 50s? I feel like its something I need to investigate because its such a strange repetitive device in shows. Anyway, I also wasn’t aware that the song “Whatever Lola Wants” originated from this show, but that’s not something you need to know.

The show is about a fan of the Washington Senators baseball team who sells his soul to the devil in order to become a young strapping man and play for the team in order to lead them to win the pennant and beat those damn Yankees. At the core of the show, is a story about realizing what you have and what’s important. I wont give away what ends up happening, what I will say is that as fun as the show was you could have easily cut out a good twenty minutes because it was unnecessary. There were two particular numbers I had in mind, the first being the extra elongated dance number after “Shoeless Joe from Hannibal, Mo.” While I understand they were showing how the team’s morale boosted and resulted in better playing thanks to Joe, it went on way too long and it wasn’t even really all that amazing choreography in the first place so it felt as though it had no point. The second number which was completely ridiculous and had nothing to do with anything was “Who’s Got the Pain?” It was like an excuse to throw in mambo in the show because it was popular at the time. Completely out of left field and didn’t move along any plot points or reveal anything about any of the characters and that’s a real pet peeve of mine. It also reminded me of how utterly awful “It Couldn’t Please Me More” (that damn pineapple song) from Cabaret was.

I really loved the scenes between Cheyenne Jackson and Randy Graff. I think they had great chemistry on stage and you could certainly feel Randy’s loneliness. We’re no going to discuss how completely unrealistic her reaction at the end is because that isn’t Randy’s fault, it’s the fault of the book because really, no woman would… well, when you see the show you’ll know what I mean. Sean Hayes was a lot of fun to see, however I don’t know if I got inherently evil from him. He was like a cartoon version of the devil, where you don’t really fear him but you know he’s the bad guy. Speaking of cartoons though, Jane Krakowski was completely animated and felt like a live version of Betty Boop almost. I adored her and thought she was great in her role. Actually to further the cartoon argument, during the dialogue prior to “A Little Brains, A Little Talent” Sean and Jane seemed very much like Boris and Natasha.

All in all its a fun show I recommend checking out but I wouldn’t label it a “must-see” (that title at the moment is reserved for In The Heights which really everyone must see). Below is video from Joanna and I at stage door.

Last night I went to see Wall-E with my friend Rebecca and her friend Oloff. I’m going to say right away that I’m surprised that this film was made considering Pixar and Disney were behind it. This film was beautiful and I don’t say that very often. Aside from the fact it had such heart, the environmentalist, anti-consumerist, and social commentary behind it was incredible. I could easily see that being a future for our world if our path continues the way it does. The movie plays almost like a silent film for a good portion of it, relying on character movements and noises to tell a story.

The theater was half filled with kids (which really I can’t complain about considering it’s a G-rated animated flick) but there were plenty of people who, like us, were adults going to see the film. It wasn’t one of those you felt the need to find a cousin or a niece or nephew to take just so you wont feel silly. I highly recommend it to everyone and I hope it opens people’s eyes to what we can become and what our world can become if we don’t take care of it.

As a complete side note I LOVED how the credits were done, and if you want to know what I mean go see the movie because I could not do it justice in words.

Anywho, hi, my name is Joliz, and I’m currently procrastinating getting to work in my South Bronx (SOBRO BABY) apartment. I’m a snobby New Yorker who really thinks she’s the shit because she’s from there. Or at least that’s what I’ll let people believe. I hail from the Bronx, I’m a walk away from Yankee Stadium to be exact. A lengthy walk, but a walk nonetheless. By default this means I have pinstripe pride, get over it.

I was born in Bellevue Hospital, so it should be expected for me to be slightly insane right? Actually I was born in the medical center, even though Bellevue is famous for it’s psychiatric ward. My mother’s name is Elizabeth, she hates her middle name because her father gave it to her, so I’ll call her by it just to upset her sometimes. My father’s name is Oscar, he passed away from cancer when I was three years old. My only memory of him was waiting in Tio Guito’s garage for him to come home because he had promised to take me out for pizza. He came home late and brought me a teddy bear that was as big as I was, and instead of accepting it, I mustered up all my strength and threw it at him in a huff because he broke his promise. I always tear up recalling that. Anyway, my mom was 36 and my father was 38 when I was born. Seeing as my sisters were 18 and 17 by then I was definitely an “oops” baby.

My name came from the fact that my sister Liz was engaged to a guy named Joe at the time, hence Joliz. No dash, no capitals, just Joliz. My sister Marilyn played the ultimate middle child card and complained about the fact that the new baby doesn’t have her name. Joliz Marilyn doesn’t sound right by any standards so I was given Marilyn’s middle name, Evette, making my full name Joliz Evette InsertLastNameHere.

Anywho, the first three years of my life were spent in Bronx, New York. From there I promptly moved to Barceloneta, Puerto Rico where I lived in an even smaller sector called Palenque where my Tio David had built his, my moms, my Titi Miriam’s, and my Tio Guito’s house which were all in the same circle. Tio Guito owned a garage but I never remember seeing anyone actually having their car serviced there. Our homes were next to the bar which sold candy at the same counter making it a frequent stop afterschool. I attended Jose Cordero Rosario Elemental until I was 8 years old. All our addresses, including my school, were in P.O. Boxes and I did not realize that until now.

I moved to Orlando, Florida and attended Pinar Elementary in Orange County. I met my best friend Meghan Gabriel and that’s all that’s important from that era. I moved back to the Bronx for 6th grade at Joseph H Wade JHS 117x. Ignore the fact it looks like a prison. One day I will write a novel on how 6th and 7th grade where single handedly the two greatest years of my life. Until then this little blurb will suffice. I mean, how often does a class trip to the Coney Island Aquarium end up on a beach with all 27 of my classmates rolling up our Tommy Hilfiger and FUBU jeans to our knees treading the cold possibly contaminated waters of the Coney Island beach because Genine lost her gellie shoes in the water. That’s another entry for another day. I moved back to Florida for 8th grade at Liberty Middle School. Insert teenage angst to the max and somehow that equated to a teenybopper Hanson fan come freshman year at The Beacon School.

High school is a blur of of New York stories and Kevin Williamson drama that will one day come in the form of a screenplay I will sell to the WB or FOX and maybe people will start PB’ing versions of myself and my old friends. Anywho, despite my pretty damn good SAT scores, and graduating with honors in math, science, history, and french (I was a horrid english student), I ended up going to a state school for financial purposes. Enter SUNY New Paltz, home to vegans, potheads, Long Island preps, and Mayor Jason West who performed same sex marriages shortly after San Francisco causing TV cameras to be in our small town faces for a good week. I couldn’t be prouder though.

I dropped out after sophomore year, taking the year off to.. find myself? I still haven’t found what I’m looking for, thank you Bono. I once thought of becoming a writer, but as some could tell you I don’t exactly have the most confidence in that area. I recently made the decision to return to school as a Media Studies and Puerto Rican Studies major at Hunter. I am seriously considering becoming a high school teacher, though my mind changes daily.

I have two sisters, Liz and Marilyn. My sister Liz has two sons, Joseph who’s turned 20 in April, and Kenny who turned 13 back in December. Marilyn had her first child on January 18th 2005, a little girl named Desmari. I have a sometimes brother named Junior, I say sometimes because it depends on my mood whether I’m related to him or not. If you want to be technical he’s related to my sisters since they share a father, but from time to time I’ll claim knowing him. He’s thirtysomething and is some sort of high rank in the United States Army, I know he was a drill sergeant four years ago, I can only assume he’s gone up from there. He has two sons which I’ve only met once.

Quick facts: I turn 24 this year. I’m currently employed at a non profit organization which empowers youth to become leaders by educating them on social and human rights issues and encouraging them to take action. I own rosario-dawson.net I loathe brand name celebrities with a passion, you know … those who feel the need to have movies/cd’s/tv shows/fashion lines/endorsement deals/etc shoved down my throat. I’d like to point out that J.Lo should stop claiming my neighborhood, it does not want her. I’m an active liberal which I define as someone who not only leans to the left end of the political spectrum but also is actively involved in creating social change. I believe everyone has a healthy level of hypocrisy in them (like hating Britney Spears but finding her songs on your ipod), but it’s learning to keep that level neutral that’s the hard part. I love theater and I admittedly don’t know a lot about it. I youtube and have contemplated creating a private account just for blogs to post here. My username is jolizevette only because I’m too fickle and not creative enough to come up with some word I felt described me. Even though I say I don’t, I really do love romantic comedies. My best friends from childhood are named Meghan and Danielle and I’m still friends with them to this day.

I have an unhealthy obsession with the internet. I have other loves of course, and I probably will continue to add to my list of things that make me happy, like ten cent icees and open fire hydrants, but my fingers are tired (and no not because of that you sick pervert!) so I’ll leave it here.